(sigh)

I am SO not a recreational baker - I have a baking PROBLEM!!! (that can be my tagline) Aside from my compulsive baking and tasting, America's Test Kitchen was MADE for people like me, because I always have to know why.

This week, I was baking some cheesecake bars and for some inconsequential (in hindsight)reason, it was more convenient to use glass baking dishes... some tiny voice in the background was whispering, use reflective pans for baking pastries, but I could not remember WHY!

I am far too experienced a baker to be having burnt bottoms due to technical sillines.

So today, making my yummy banana nut chocolate chip bread, (pictures to come) pulling frozen bananas out of the freezer, I'm impatient and throw semi-frozen bananas into creamed butter and sugar and eggs!!! This is why I have time to blog, waiting for the whole thing to get to room temperature.

And then, on top of it all, my oven seems to overheat unpredictably. so the edges were browned on this bread while the middle was completely wet. I turned it down 50 degrees. Cake tester came out clean, but I have to see what the bottoms look like...

Must invest in an oven thermometer!